“Millennials and beyond will make up to 75% of the global workforce by 2025” – Aon pic

When you realize 75% of the workplace will be made up of Millennials, your employee engagement plan must be catered to that age group. The younger people are the people who will bring your businesses to the next level, continuing its legacy and supplying fresh ideas to keep it up to date. You may ask, ”how different could the millennials be?” I will tell you.

I want to focus on strategies that will help internal communications understand the importance of engagement, particularly with millennials. I believe all generations’ involvement is important but I want to give my perspective to inform others when discussing the 20-somethings. They make all the difference when building your company in the long run.

We need to feel like we are part of something bigger

When millennials are job searching they not only look for ideal hours, decent pay and something field-related, but also work that is meaningful. We want fulfillment within our work and we want to enjoy it at the same time. We want to have a reason to wake up and go to work, not just to pay the bills but to pay back society. When people think of millennials, they think we’re all about helping ourselves but really we yearn to make a positive change. So, how can we make our efforts more significant?

1. Have end goals for all employees as a whole and individually, that isn’t sales-based – this will give us a sense of accomplishment when we achieve those milestones (eg. If it’s a PR company, set a goal to help a client achieve 1-2 goals a week)
2. Organize company events that are based around charities – not only will this make your company look good, it will provide that feel-good environment that will carry on into the workplace
3. Try incorporating more learning opportunities that will allow employees to grow in all aspects of life

We need to feel appreciated

Now, I know what you are all going to say… “poor millennials need to be coddled in this harsh world”, let me explain. We don’t need any special treatment; we just thrive off of feedback. When we think we are doing a good job, we want that to be confirmed and receive proper recognition.

We need a family-like atmosphere

A family-oriented environment is so important to me in the workplace. When we have people in our work places that aren’t just about making a buck, it makes work feel like a second home. We all look out for one another and our collaboration is successful because we are not only co-workers but good friends. So, how do you create this environment?

Plan team building activities and outings together that are not only focused on the business goals but learning about one another.

We need to know that there is a future for us

Career advancement is one of the biggest factors when deciding on a job. Millennials are always questioned on their loyalty but what about the employer’s loyalty to us? When there are false promises made, we eventually will lose trust in that employer. So, how do you avoid these issues?

1. Don’t make promises you can’t keep – don’t just tell us what we want to hear to keep us around, be honest with us. If we see you’re genuine, we’ll wait.
2. Teach us and mentor us so we can work towards that end goal

In conclusion, millennials only expect the basics when it comes to keeping us engaged in our workplace. When we are respected and feel good about what we are doing at work, we will want to continue to work hard and meet the goals given to us.